ANDREA TORNIELLI REAFFIRMS "REFORM OF THE REFORM" STORYIn other news, hotly circulating, is one in which Vaticanista, Andrea Tornielli reaffirms what he penned, after the Holy See has put out a denial. The Vatican watcher carefully points out that the denial is a non-denial because it denies things he did not write in his original article. If you are dizzy, you are not alone. Since the Holy See got caught with it's cassock unbuttoned in the Bp Williamson affair, among others, it has been closely monitoring the blogosphere. Hmmmmm........Perhaps that is what some of those hits are from Vatican City and Lazio, Rome. This is a positive development, as is the careful clarification by Andrea Tornielli about what he did and did not say.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN SCRANTON, PAThose of you who have followed this blog have seen the many posts I have made on Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, PA. He has been hailed as a pro-life, pro-family champion, and the bane of those who think Church teaching is something that changes with popular opinion. Who can forget him standing up last November at the annual bishop's conference and telling his brothers that they would be held accountable for their collective reticence (referring to how matters concerning Catholic politicians were being handled).

Rumor was circulating locally for some weeks that His Excellency was stepping down, most likely due to health reasons. He was in Rome in June for a meeting with officials at the Congregation for Bishops. What is interesting to note is that his auxiliary bishop, John Dougherty, 77, is retiring at the same time. There is a presser in some undisclosed location, closed to the public, in Scranton, being held by the diocese at 10:00am Monday. Stay tuned.

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

St. John of the Cross

Dark Night of the Soul (2.2:3)...

"...the devil causes many to believe in vain visionsand false prophecies; and strives to make them presumethat God and the saints are speaking with them; and they often trust their own fancy. And the devil is also accustomed, in this state, to fill them with presumption and pride, so that they become attracted by vanity and arrogance, and allow themselves to be seen engaging in outward acts which appear holy, such as raptures and other manifestations. Thus they become bold with God, and lose holy fear, which is the key and the custodian of all the virtues; and in some of these souls so many are the falsehoods and deceits which tend to multiply, and so inveterate do they grow, that it is very doubtful if such souls will return to the pure road of virtue and true spirituality."